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Ayah
Word by Word
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا
O you
ٱلَّذِينَ
who
أُوتُواْ
(have) been given
ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ
the Book
ءَامِنُواْ
believe
بِمَا
in what
نَزَّلۡنَا
We (have) revealed
مُصَدِّقٗا
confirming
لِّمَا
what is
مَعَكُم
with you
مِّن
from
قَبۡلِ
before
أَن
[that]
نَّطۡمِسَ
We efface
وُجُوهٗا
faces
فَنَرُدَّهَا
and turn them
عَلَىٰٓ
on
أَدۡبَارِهَآ
their backs
أَوۡ
or
نَلۡعَنَهُمۡ
We curse them
كَمَا
as
لَعَنَّآ
We cursed
أَصۡحَٰبَ
companions
ٱلسَّبۡتِۚ
(of) the Sabbath
وَكَانَ
And is
أَمۡرُ
(the) command
ٱللَّهِ
(of) Allah
مَفۡعُولًا
(always) executed
يَٰٓأَيُّهَا
O you
ٱلَّذِينَ
who
أُوتُواْ
(have) been given
ٱلۡكِتَٰبَ
the Book
ءَامِنُواْ
believe
بِمَا
in what
نَزَّلۡنَا
We (have) revealed
مُصَدِّقٗا
confirming
لِّمَا
what is
مَعَكُم
with you
مِّن
from
قَبۡلِ
before
أَن
[that]
نَّطۡمِسَ
We efface
وُجُوهٗا
faces
فَنَرُدَّهَا
and turn them
عَلَىٰٓ
on
أَدۡبَارِهَآ
their backs
أَوۡ
or
نَلۡعَنَهُمۡ
We curse them
كَمَا
as
لَعَنَّآ
We cursed
أَصۡحَٰبَ
companions
ٱلسَّبۡتِۚ
(of) the Sabbath
وَكَانَ
And is
أَمۡرُ
(the) command
ٱللَّهِ
(of) Allah
مَفۡعُولًا
(always) executed
Translation
O ye People of the Book! believe in what We have (now) revealed, confirming what was (already) with you, before We change the face and fame of some (of you) beyond all recognition, and turn them hindwards, or curse them as We cursed the Sabbath-breakers, for the decision of Allah Must be carried out.
Tafsir
O you who have been given the Scripture, believe in what We have revealed, of Al-Qur'an, confirming what is with you, of the Torah, before We obliterate faces, erasing the eyes, noses and eyebrows in them, and turn them inside out, and make them like the napes of the neck, a flat plate, or curse them, by transforming them into apes, as We cursed, [as] We transformed, those of the Sabbath, among them, and God's command, His decree, is done: after this was revealed, 'Abd Allaah ibn Salaam converted to Islam, and so it was said that this had been a conditional threat of punishment, so that when some of them converted to Islam, it [the threat] was lifted. It is also said that obliteration and transformation will take place before the rising of the Hour.
"Chastising the Jews for Choosing Misguidance, Altering Allah's Words, and Mocking Islam
Allah says;
أَلَمۡ تَرَ إِلَى الَّذِينَ أُوتُواۡ نَصِيبًا مِّنَ الۡكِتَابِ يَشۡتَرُونَ الضَّلَلَةَ
Have you not seen those (the Jews) who were given a portion of the Book, purchasing the wrong path,
Allah states that the Jews, may Allah's continued curse fall on them until the Day of Resurrection, have purchased the wrong path instead of guidance, and ignored what Allah sent down to His Messenger Muhammad.
They also ignored the knowledge that they inherited from previous Prophets, about the description of Muhammad, so that they may have a small amount of the delights of this life.
وَيُرِيدُونَ أَن تَضِلُّواۡ السَّبِيلَ
and wishing that you should go astray from the right path.
for they would like that you disbelieve in what was sent down to you, O believers, and that you abandon the guidance and beneficial knowledge that you have.
وَاللّهُ أَعۡلَمُ بِأَعۡدَايِكُمۡ
Allah has full knowledge of your enemies,
meaning, Allah has better knowledge of your enemies, and He warns you against them.
وَكَفَى بِاللّهِ وَلِيًّا وَكَفَى بِاللّهِ نَصِيرًا
and Allah is sufficient as a Wali (Protector), and Allah is Sufficient as a Helper.
He is a Sufficient Protector for those who seek refuge with Him and a Sufficient Supporter for those who seek His help.
Allah then said
مِّنَ الَّذِينَ هَادُواۡ يُحَرِّفُونَ الۡكَلِمَ عَن مَّوَاضِعِهِ
Among those who are Jews, there are some who displace words from (their) right places,
meaning, they intentionally and falsely alter the meanings of the Words of Allah and explain them in a different manner than what Allah meant.
وَيَقُولُونَ سَمِعۡنَا وَعَصَيۡنَا
And say:""We hear your word and disobey,
Mujahid and Ibn Zayd explained,
saying, ""We hear what you say, O Muhammad, but we do not obey you in it.""
This is the implied meaning of the Ayah, and it demonstrates the Jews' disbelief, stubbornness and disregard for Allah's Book after they understood it, all the while aware of the sin and punishment that this behavior will earn for them.
Allah's statement,
وَاسۡمَعۡ غَيۡرَ مُسۡمَعٍ
And ""Hear and let you hear nothing.""
Ad-Dahhak reported from Ibn Abbas,
means, hear our words, may you never hear anything.
This is the Jews' way of mocking and jesting, may Allah's curse descend on them.
وَرَاعِنَا لَيًّا بِأَلۡسِنَتِهِمۡ وَطَعۡنًا فِي الدِّينِ
And Ra`ina, with a twist of their tongues and as a mockery of the religion.
meaning, they pretend to say, `Hear us,' when they say, Ra`ina (an insult in Hebrew, but in Arabic it means `Listen to us.').' Yet, their true aim is to curse the Prophet.
We mentioned this subject when we explained Allah's statement,
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ امَنُواۡ لَا تَقُولُواۡ رَاعِنَا وَقُولُواۡ انظُرۡنَا
(O you who believe! Say not Ra`ina but say Unzurna (make us understand)). (2:104)
Therefore, Allah said about them, while they pretend to say other than what they truly mean,
لَيًّا بِأَلۡسِنَتِهِمۡ وَطَعۡنًا فِي الدِّينِ
(With a twist of their tongues and as a mockery of the religion) because of their cursing the Prophet.
Allah then said,
وَلَوۡ أَنَّهُمۡ قَالُواۡ سَمِعۡنَا وَأَطَعۡنَا وَاسۡمَعۡ وَانظُرۡنَا لَكَانَ خَيۡرًا لَّهُمۡ وَأَقۡوَمَ وَلَكِن لَّعَنَهُمُ اللّهُ بِكُفۡرِهِمۡ فَلَ يُوۡمِنُونَ إِلاَّ قَلِيلً
And if only they had said:""We hear and obey"", and ""Do make us understand,"" it would have been better for them, and more proper; but Allah has cursed them for their disbelief, so they believe not except a few.
meaning, their hearts are cast away from the path of righteousness and therefore, no beneficial part of faith enters it.
Earlier, when we explained,
فَقَلِيلً مَّا يُوۡمِنُونَ
(so little is that which they believe) (2:88) which means they do not have beneficial faith.
Calling the People of the Book to Embrace the Faith, Warning them Against Doing Otherwise
Allah says;
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ أُوتُواۡ الۡكِتَابَ امِنُواۡ بِمَا نَزَّلۡنَا مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا مَعَكُم
O you who have been given the Scripture (Jews and Christians)! Believe in what We have revealed confirming what is with you,
Allah commands the People of the Scriptures to believe in what He has sent down to His servant and Messenger, Muhammad, the Glorious Book that conforms to the good news that they already have about Muhammad.
He also warns them,
مِّن قَبۡلِ أَن نَّطۡمِسَ وُجُوهًا
فَنَرُدَّهَا عَلَى أَدۡبَارِهَا
before We efface faces and turn them backwards
Al-Awfi said that Ibn Abbas said that;
`effacing' here refers to blindness.
فَنَرُدَّهَا عَلَى أَدۡبَارِهَا
(and turn them backwards),
meaning, We put their faces on their backs, and make them walk backwards, since their eyes will be in their backs.
Similar was said by Qatadah and Atiyah Al-Awfi.
This makes the punishment even more severe, and it is a parable that Allah set for ignoring the truth, preferring the wrong way and turning away from the plain path for the paths of misguidance. Therefore, such people walk backwards.
Similarly, some said that Allah's statement,
إِنَّا جَعَلۡنَا فِى أَعۡنـقِهِمۡ أَغۡلَـلً فَهِىَ إِلَى الاٌّذۡقَـنِ فَهُم مُّقۡمَحُونَ
وَجَعَلۡنَا مِن بَيۡنِ أَيۡدِيهِمۡ سَدّاً
(Verily, We have put on their necks iron collars reaching to the chins, so that their heads are raised up. And We have put a barrier before them) (36:8-9) that is a parable that Allah gave for their deviation and hindrance from guidance.
Ka`b Al-Ahbar Embraces Islam Upon Hearing this Ayah (4:47)
Ibn Jarir recorded that;
Isa bin Al-Mughirah said:We were with Ibrahim when we talked about the time when Ka`b became Muslim.
He said, `Ka`b became Muslim during the reign of Umar, for he passed by Al-Madinah intending to visit Jerusalem, and Umar said to him, ""Embrace Islam, O Ka`b.'
Ka`b said, `Do you not read in your Book,
مَثَلُ الَّذِينَ حُمِّلُوا التَّوۡرَاةَ ثُمَّ لَمۡ يَحۡمِلُوهَا كَمَثَلِ الۡحِمَارِ يَحۡمِلُ أَسۡفَارًا
(The likeness of those who were entrusted with the Tawrah, but did not carry it, is as the likeness of a donkey which carries huge burdens of books). I am among those who were entrusted with the Tawrah.'
Umar left him alone and Ka`b went on to Hims (in Syria) and heard one of its inhabitants recite this Ayah while feeling sad,
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ أُوتُواۡ الۡكِتَابَ امِنُواۡ بِمَا نَزَّلۡنَا مُصَدِّقًا لِّمَا مَعَكُم
مِّن قَبۡلِ أَن نَّطۡمِسَ وُجُوهًا
فَنَرُدَّهَا عَلَى أَدۡبَارِهَا
O you who have been given the Scripture (Jews and Christians)! Believe in what We have revealed confirming what is with you, before We efface faces and turn them backwards.
Ka`b said, `I believe, O Lord! I embraced Islam, O Lord!' for He feared that this might be struck by this threat.
He then went back to his family in Yemen and returned with them all as Muslims.""
Allah's statement,
أَوۡ نَلۡعَنَهُمۡ كَمَا لَعَنَّا أَصۡحَابَ السَّبۡتِ
or curse them as We cursed the people of the Sabbath. r
efers to those who breached the sanctity of the Sabbath, using deceit, for the purpose of doing more work. Allah changed these people into apes and swine, as we will come to know in the explanation of Surah Al-A`raf.
Allah's statement,
وَكَانَ أَمۡرُ اللّهِ مَفۡعُولاً
And the commandment of Allah is always executed.
means, when He commands something, then no one can dispute or resist His command."
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